Bulega, Locatelli and Iannone, hat trick in Superbike

Superbike, results

Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) writes a page of history in Race 1 of the Grand Ridge Brewery Round of’Australia winning on his WorldSBK debut, replicating what was done in 2019 by his boxmate Alvaro Bautista. Today for Italy è a truly unforgettable day since an all-Italian podium was missing since Misano 1993. Podium today completed by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), today in the race after an’absence of four years.

Iannone shows everyone what he is made of è and at the start goes to the lead. He has to deal with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who overtakes him but the Abruzzese responds at the start of the second lap. Also part of the leading group is Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who starts ninth but crashes on lap four in turn 10. Between laps nine and 11’it’s back to the pits for the pit stop.

Iannone, Bulega, Lowes, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Bautista stop on lap nine. On the return to the track at the lead there’è – as before – Bulega who riding his Panigale V4 R gives himself a beautiful victory on his debut, for an all-Italian podium. Locatelli starts sixth, pits at’11° lap and at the checkered flag precedes Iannone.

The rider from Vasto had to contend with Lowes and Razgatlioglu to return to the podium that he had been missing since 2018 and centered in MotoGP™ in the GP d’Australia. Good pace in the second part of the race for Locatelli who overtook Iannone, who then went wide in Turn 4. Bulega è the first to win two consecutive races in two different Championships, having made Race 1 of the WorldSSP at Jerez 2023 and Race 1 of the WorldSBK at Phillip Island his own. È the third Italian to win on debut, imitating the exploits of Max Biaggi and Davide Tardozzi.